Head Coach Jim Boeheim Quotes - Duke
Syracuse vs. Duke
February 1, 2020
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Head Coach Jim Boeheim
Opening Statement:
“Carey’s (Vernon) really good, he’s big and strong down there, the other big guy DeLaurier (Javin) hurt us too. We gave up 40 points down there. It’s a problem, it has been all year. I thought we fought hard, we missed three’s early, we needed to make some. I thought we had some pretty good looks but we’ve got to make some of those to compete. Duke’s very good, they’re really good, they’ve got a great point guard, and a tremendous group of players, and the big kid is really good, he’s got great hands, he’s really tough down there. We battled back, we did everything we could to try to compete back in there but we had a little gap there where they got the lead and we just couldn’t overcome that."
Are you happy how your team is playing physically and standing up to that:
“I think we’re getting better. It’s a physical game both ways. We lost by six boards, won the turnover battle, plus-nine. I think we’re hanging in there for the physical strength that we have. Obviously that’s not a strength of ours but down low we just have trouble with the big guys like that. He’s very good and we’re not able to play a guy like that.”
What did you see from Marek (Dolezaj) setting a career high tonight?
"He’s playing great. He stays out of foul trouble he’s doing a lot of things. He’s passing and he’s driving. He’s a really good player.
For us to win Elijah has got to shoot better, from the three, and he had a good night but he’s got to make some of those. Buddy’s got to make a couple more. Joe’s got to make a couple more. We have to score a lot of points. Duke’s going to score points against us and we can’t stop them so we’re going to have to score a lot of points to beat them. They’re a very good team, very good offensive team. They are top 10 for a reason. They have a very good team, they’re big, they’ve got a lot of size down there.”
Did they start to find a way to deny Buddy the ball?
"Everyone’s going to over play him. He’s a shooter, he’s getting his own shot though. He’s getting it on the floor and getting his own shot. Tonight, he missed a couple that he can make but he’s learning. Joe and (Buddy) are learning. They’re learning the game, they are both having tremendous years but they’re learning the game.
There’s so many things about (Quincy) that defensively he’s giving up things that we just can’t give up. People don’t see that but he just doesn’t play his position and offensively, he’s good. He can get up and lay it in but he can’t do it against these guys. He’s got to learn how to play against bigger guys. The good teams have bigger guys. And he’s got to learn as Marek has to use his body, use pump fakes and makes moves. Quincy’s never had to do that. He just jumps up and layed it in against a bunch of 6-2 guys. Well he’s playing against grown men now, and he’s got to learn how to play against them, and it take time. He’s trying, he’s doing everything that he can do to try to get there, but he’s just not ready yet to play against guys like this. Every game that he’s played a lot of minutes, he’s either fouled out of or close within 20 minutes. He’s learning the game, but he’s a work in progress and its going to take time."
